Optometry

All states and the District of Columbia require that optometrists be licensed, which requires a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited optometry school and a passing score on both a written and clinical state board examination. Licenses are renewed every 1 to 3 years and in all states, continuing education credits are needed for renewal. The Doctor of Optometry degree is a 4 year program. Optometry programs include classroom and laboratory study of health and visual sciences, as well as clinical training in the diagnosis treatment of eye disorders. Included are courses in pharmacology, optics, vision science, biochemistry, and systemic disease. Residencies are not required to develop a specialty. Since the four-year optometry curriculum prepares graduates in all areas, a residency does not introduce but rather enhances experience in a selected area.

Admission requirements at all schools require the completion of a minimum of at least 90 semester units of college coursework; however, a Bachelor's degree may be required and is strongly recommended. Ninety percent of new entrants at most schools have obtained Bachelor's degrees. Applicants should check the specific requirements of the schools in which they have an interest. The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) publishes Schools and Colleges of Optometry: Admission Requirements. Most students major in the sciences (biology, chemistry, etc.) because the prerequisites for optometry schools are science intensive, thought a science major is not required.

Common Components Required for Admission:

Application including personal statement
Official transcripts from all colleges attended
Official Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores
Letters of recommendation
Optometry experience/exposure
Personal interview
The optometry schools do not participate in a centralized application service. Hence, each applicant should contact the individual schools in which they have interest. In general the schools and colleges of Optometry begin accepting applications in August and September for their classes, which begin the following August or September.

Note: Applicants for optometric study in the United States and Puerto Rico use a common application service, OptomCAS. By utilizing a common application service, prospective students file one application that can be sent to multiple schools and colleges of optometry. The Admissions and Student Affairs Office is thrilled to be a participant OptomCAS school as we strive to make the application process more efficient and convenient for you.

A student's academic evaluation is based upon overall GPA, science GPA, college attended, degree progress, and course load difficulty. Prerequisite admission requirements vary from school to school. Please refer to the Schools and Colleges of Optometry: Admission Requirements available for viewing at the HPAO resource library, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) website: http://www.opted.org.

Students maintain responsibility for verifying course selection with individual optometry programs. Listed below are the prerequisite admission requirements for the 2 Optometry programs in California.

* Please note that these online courses are accepted and we suggest the course offered through UC Berkeley Extension (UNEX): Extension.berkeley.edu.We are also willing to review course descriptions from other University and College Extensions to allow for more flexibility in fulfilling our prerequisites